Apparatus for producing coils of narrow strip fed thereto from a slitter



Oct. 28, LH. A. RAY APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING COILS OF NARROW STRIP FED THERETO FROM A SLITTER Filed Jan. 17, 195o s sheets-sheet 1 Oct. 28, 1952 H, A RAY 2,615,645

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING COILS OF NARROW STRIP FED THERETO FROM A SLITTER Filed Jan. 17, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 28, 1952 7||. A. RAY 2,615,645

v APPARATUS FOR PROOUOING cons OF NARROW .STRIP FEO TRERETO FROM A SLITTER O Filed Jan. 17, 195o s sheets-sheet :s

Patented Oct. 218, 1952 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING COILS OF NARROW STRIP FED THERETO FROM A`SLITTER Hjalmer A. Ray, `Fairhaven, Mass., assigner to Revere Copperand Brass Incorporated, New York, N.l Y., a corporation of Maryland Application January 17, 1950, SerialfNo. 138,965

My invention relates to forming tied orbound coils of narrow strip utilizing a slitter which divides a relatively wide strip into a plurality of narrow strips. n

The invention, which has among its objects an improved apparatus for forming such coils with a minimum of labor on the part of the workmen and with an increased output of coils in a given time, will be best understood from the following description when read in the light of the accompanying drawings, while the scope of the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan of a form of apparatus according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the apparatus according to Fig. 1; v n

Fig. 3 is an elevation, with parts broken away, illustrating a step in the operation of forming the coils;

Fig. 4 is an elevation, with parts in section, illustrating a further step in the operation of forming the coils;

Fig. 5 is a plan illustrating a still further step in the operation of forming the coils; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating kone of the completed coils.

It is frequently necessary to divide a wide strip, of brass or the like, longitudinally into a number of narrow strips, for example, a strip inches wide into 80 strips each 1A inch wide. This is done by passing the wide strip longitudinally through a so-called slitter. Such a slitter, which is a well known device, is more or less diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. As shown in those gures, it comprises a standard l carrying the spaced housings 3 each formed with a so-called window 5 in which are mounted the bearings l for the oppositeend por- .tions of the driven rotary arbors 9, the upper bearings being vertically adjustable manually by means of the screws Il which carry the handwheels i3 at their upper ends. fixedly carries a plurality of circularnflat disklike cutters l5 separated by spacers l1, the cut- -5 claims. (c1. 24a- 7er Heretofore the narrow strips while being'dislcharged from the slitter have rbeen coiled on a horizontal rotary blocker having a free unsupported end, all` the strips being simultaneously wound on one andthe same blocker with flat disk-like spacers placed' on the blocker between the strips so that the coils will be wound in the spaces between the spacers. f According to` this prior practice, at the end of the windingoperation the pancake coils thus formed are 'axially slid manually'one by one olf the blocker at its ireeend and the turns of the coils tied or bound together. To remove each coil from the` blocker i it is necessary, according to prior practice, for the workman, while each coil is still on it, to

.sever'the end ofthe outer turn of the coil from the residual length Vof narrow strip leading to `the 'slitter and hold the severed end of the coil to prevent the latter from unwinding, lwhich it would do,"like a clock spring,v if its outer end were released. The operatorr while holding the `outer end of the strip and the adjacent peripheral portion of the coil with one hand then grasps `the"diametrically.opposite peripheral edge portion of the'coil with his other hand, and-by use j ofy both hands pulls the coil off the blocker. When pulled off the blocker he carries the coil to the `table on which helaysfit flatwise and, while still holding y the coil against unwinding, a second operator ties or binds the turnsof the coil together so that there vis producedv a pancake coil E9 6) tied or bound at three places by means 4 To get the cord or wire about the coil* the latter is slid partly over the edge of the table so as to enable the cord or wire to lbe passed through the center opening'of the coil, the latter being rotated whilesupported 'by the table to enable the three cords oiv wires to be applied. y

Great difliculty is experienced by the workman in performing the above operation in respect to preventing' the coil turns from telescoping while Each arbor 9 y ters on the upper arbor being staggered with relation to those on the lower arbor so that the cutters on the upper arbor are aligned with the spaces between the cutters on the lower arbor he pulls the coil from the blocker land carries it to the table. Ordinarily while carrying the coil he holds it latwise against the iront of his Lbody to prevent such telescoping, and in working the coil off the blockerhe must do it very slowly and carefully to prevent its telescoping. This diffi- `culty will be appreciated when it is considered to shear a relatively wide strip S into a plurality that the coil of narrow strip may lweigh as much vas ninety pounds and may be 36 inches in diameter. The operation in fact is so laborious that "it physically exhausts the workman. Another defect of this old procedure is that it ties vup the slitter while the coils are being slowly` removed from the blocker.

means for attachment of the hooks 33 (Fig. 3) of a sling 35 carried by the hook 31 of a bodily movable hoist (not shown). On the same side of each .plate 25 as the angle-iron ring 29ris welded the edge of a ring-shaped flange 39 adapted to fit over the blocker, this ring being tapped for receiving a set screw 4| for securing the member 23 non-rotatably to the blocker when desired. As further shown, the members 23 adjacent their peripheries are each formed with three equally spaced perforations 43 for removably receiving the tie rods 45. As shown, the tie rods have at one end the heads 41, and at their ends opposite the heads are screw-threaded, as shown at 49, for removably receiving the clampin-g wing nuts 5 I, which latter are adapted to draw the members 23 toward each other for clamping the coils between .them as hereinafter explained. The perf'ora-tions 43 are shown as positioned close to the peripheral webs 3| of the angle-irons 29, and the heads of the tie rods preferably rigidly carry radially projecting .pins 53 adapted to abut with said webs to prevent rotation of the tie rods when the clamping nuts 5| are being screw-threaded on said rods.

The blocker shawn is one of common 'construction, comprising a power driven cylindrical member 55 having a free unsupported end 51. The cylindrical outer surface portion of the member 55 comprises -two segmental members 59 (Fig. 2) which extend for the full length of the member 55, these members 59 being so mounted that at one end each bears against an elongated abutment 6|, also extending for the full length df the member 55, about which end it may be swung to render the member 55 radially expansible and contractible for releasably clamping to it the ring-shaped ilanges 39 of the rigid members 23 when the latter are placed on the blocker. The member 55 is so expanded and contracted by applying to the nut 63, positioned at the free end of the mem-ber, a wrench for rotating the nut, the nut operating known mechanism housed by the blocker for imparting the swinging movements to the members 59. As further shown, one of the members 59 is provided with a Iprojection 65 in which is formed a groove 61, the groove extending for the full length of the member 55 and opening at one edge on the outer surface of such member and endwise on the free end of the blocker.

In setting up the improved apparatus the end of the Wide strip S leading from a coil of the same is applied to the slitter and the latter operated to form lengths of nar-row strip suiiicient to reach to the blocker, whereupon operation of the slitter is temporarily discontinued. As shown, these preliminary lengths of narrow strip, indicated at P in Fig. 2, are conveniently supported on a table 69 extending across the space between the slitter and the blocker. At this stage of the operation the blocker is collapsed sufficiently to permit one of the rigid `members 23 to be placed on it, and after it is so placed the end 0f the adjacent narrow strip is secured to the blocker by bending-such end and insert- 'ing it in the groove or slot 61. `Thena thin annular disk-like spacer 1| (Figszfi and-5) preferably of sheet metal, is placed on the blocker and pushed up against the strip, causing the latter to be pushed into contact with the rigid member 23. The central opening 13 (Fig. 5) of the spacer, which permits it to be placed on the blocker, is preferably of such diameter that it fairly closely ts ythe blocker when the latter is expanded to clamp the rigid members 23 thereto, but with sufficient clearance not to interfere with f such clamping. Next the end of the second strip is secured in the same way to the blocker and a second spacer 1| positioned on the blocker and pushed up against that strip. Finally after all the strips are secured to the blocker with spacers positioned between them the second rigid member 23 is placed on the blocker and the latter expanded to secure both rigid members thereto.

When the first rigid member 23 is placed on the blocker the set screw 4| (Fig. 4) preferably is screwed up against the abutment 6| of the blocker to prevent that member from rotating relative to the blocker, and when the second member 23 is placed on the blocker the perforations 43 of the two members are aligned by rotating the last positioned member and temporary use of one of the tie rods 45, whereupon they are kept in alignment by tightening up against the abutment 6| the set screw 4| on the second member preparatory to rmly clamping both members to the blocker by expanding the latter. The slitter is now again put into operation and the blocker rotated until the coils are formed, these Qperations being discontinued as heretofore while a short length of the wide strip still remains unslit so as to hold the coils at this point of the operations from unwinding.

When the above operations are completed the tie rods 45 are inserted through the perforations 43 and the nuts 5| applied to the tie rods. Then the outer ends of the strips forming the coils are snipped one by one from the lengths of strip leading to the slitter, and as soon as each is snipped its end leading to the coil is bent to hook it about one of the tie rods, as indicated at 15 (Fig. 5), to prevent the coil from unwinding, the ends of all of the coils being secured to the same tie rod. The blocker may then be collapsed and the set screws 4| backed off to release the rigid members 23 from the blocker, whereupon the wing nuts are tightly screwed up by use of a wrench to draw each rigid member 23 toward the other and firmly clamp the coils and spacers between them. rihe webs 3| of the two rigid members are now caused to be engaged by the hooks 33 of the hoist, as shown in Fig. 3. By moving the hoist the assembly, consisting of the rigid member 23, coils I9, tie rods 45, wing nuts 5| and spacers 1 I, may then be slid off the blocker and transported to the skid 11 shown in Fig. 4, the assembly being laid iiatwise on the elongated blocks 19 carried by the skid. The tie rods 45 are so applied that when the assembly is on the blocker two of the wing nuts 5| will be positioned Vat one end of said assembly and the third wing nut at its opposite end, the outer ends of the strips coming from the coils being secured to the tie rod associated with this third wing nut, while the assembly is so placed on the blocks 19 that this third wing nut will lie at the top of the assembly. When the assembly is placed on 'the blocks 19 the three Wing nuts may then be removed-and the upper rigid member 23 lifted rfrom the assembly, which will remove with it two of the tie rods butleave in place the third to which the coil ends are attached. The uppermost coil of the assembly may then be slid -sldewlse 

